Safe At Home Senior Care

By Edita McQuary

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main,” wrote John Donne, English poet and pastor.

However, family life in these current times can be especially challenging when family members live far away from each other. It can be difficult to be certain that seniors and/or disabled loved ones get the proper care they deserve. Safe at Home Senior Care has been helping families do this for 21 years.

Started by Cindy and Steve Glenn, the company has now passed the torch on to their son, Ryan Colligan, and his wife, Debora.

Ryan grew up in Capitola and attended local schools. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cal State-Chico and a master’s in business administration degree from UC Berkeley. Debora, originally from Brazil, is a documentary film maker and will soon preview her latest film here in Santa Cruz.

Safe at Home Senior Care is a local, non-franchise business which is fully invested in our local community. They are registered with the State of California. They also own Oceanside Supported Living in Santa Cruz, which provides in-home care for developmentally disabled adults.

Care Plan

“We have a customized in-home assessment process with an in-home assessment by a care coordinator who meets with the family to get a thorough understanding of the client’s needs,” said Ryan. Taken into account is what kind of help is needed and for what time period.

The client’s medical history, activities, interests, and services necessary are also considered. This very careful and deliberate assessment process enables the care coordinator to come up with the right match of caregiver, whose personality matches that of the client.

Covid

“Covid has made it challenging to hire good people. Because of California state vaccine mandates, we have had to let some of our employees go. Also, there is a fear surrounding working in this field. Some of our employees have opted to leave and wait until things get better,” according to Ryan.

“However,” says Ryan, “There is no shortage of new customers needing care providers. We need experienced people with compassion and a good attitude. Training is provided on-line as well as in-house. Also, there is an orientation process one-on-one with an experienced Caregiver as well as on-going refresher training.”

Due to having fewer workers and having to pay lots of overtime, Safe at Home Senior Care did take advantage of the government’s Paycheck Protection Program with the outstanding help of Santa Cruz County Bank.

“Home Care Plus”

Safe at Home Senior Care has contracted with “Home Care Plus,” an outside agency, to do anonymous monthly surveys on client satisfaction — regarding whether the client feel supported, the caregiver is prepared, has good communication skills, and what, if anything, can be done better.

Caregiver Socials

At one time, Ryan himself was a caregiver so he knows how important it is to recognize good service. As a result, he has started “Caregiver Socials” every 2-3 months which take place at a different local restaurant each time. Caregivers and clients are invited to relax and socialize. There is recognition of the “Caregiver of the Quarter” award” with a cash bonus. A newsletter comes out quarterly to keep all informed and “in the loop.”

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Safe at Home Senior Care is located at 820 Bay Ave., Suite 101, Capitola. For a free home in-home assessment, please call 831.462.3500 or go to the website at www.safeathomeseniorcare.com. All caregivers are bonded, insured and covered by Workers Compensation, have clean criminal background checks, are T.B. tested, trained, and registered by the State of California.

Photos courtesy of Safe at Home Senior Care